Grades 3-12, College, Adult
Directed by Susan Fleming
Produced by Secret World of Gardens Productions
DVD Purchase $195, Rent $45
US Release Date: 2007
Copyright Date: 2004
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-638-1
Subjects
Animal Behavior/Communication
Animals
Biology
Botany
Ecology
Gardening
Habitat
Insects
Language Arts
Life Science
Natural History
Outdoor Education
Photography
Wildlife
Awards and Festivals
Best Science/Nature/Adventure Documentary & Best Direction, Gemini Awards
Kodak Award, Excellence in Cinematography
Garden Mimics
More than meets the eye.
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"The most eye-popping series." The (Toronto) Globe & Mail |
In this episode of The Secret World of Gardens we explore how you never really know what you're looking at in the garden unless you've got the whole story.
Walking sticks that look just like twigs devour the foliage in plain sight but no one seems to notice, spiders that are perfect chameleons blend in to kill, and caterpillars that mimic poop are the stars of this show. And it's not only your eyes that you can't trust. Watch tthis episode to see how some creatures can also fool your ears and your nose.
The other episodes are:
1. Life In A Vegetable Garden - Many mouths to feed, and clever ways to avoid becoming a meal.
2. Nightlife - What comes out at night in the garden.
3. Honeybees - The role of honeybees in a common garden.
4. Appleachia - The amazing array of life an apple tree can lure into a garden.
5. Fungi - What you see is only the tip of the iceberg.
6. Sap Sucking Hoppers - The astronauts of the garden.
8. Vines - The good, the bad and the ugly side of vines.
9. Whether The Weather - How plants survive the stress of changes in the weather.
10. Weevils - They crawl, they fly, and some even swim...
11. Squirrels - What are these chipmunks and squirrels doing in the garden?
12. The Old Oak Tree - The diverse world of oaks and their residents.
13. Life In A Lawn - Paradise is a well-tended lawn.
Reviews
"As an educator, I am always looking for fun and educational videos to help reinforce what we are teaching the children. Garden Mimics is a fun and visually stimulating piece. The information provided is very appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students."
"The most eye-popping series."
"Through dramatic macro-photography, viewers enter the sci-fi beauty of the garden and gain a new perspective on the interactive roles played by everything from the lowly earwig to the majestic rose."
"This outstanding series is especially recommended for school and community libraries as being of special interest and value for children and adults with an interest in gardening and its flora/fauna ecosystems through all four seasons of the year."
"Garden Mimics is a wonderful look at adaptations of different garden inhabitants. The swallowtail caterpillar with the 'snake-eye' coloration was nice to see in the video - I've even used those caterpillars during educational programs. It was a nice way to show the interactions of the different insects and how they use their adaptations to their advantage."